Bottle crate



May 19, 1936. L, HALE 2,041,063

I BOTTLE CRATE Filed March 20, 1931 uw@ N Jn/ i r 7% A Patented May 19, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application March 20, 1931, Serial No. 523,975

12 Claims.

Heretofore bottle crates have been made in various manners to support the bottles in individual compartments within a casing. The casing usually is formed in a manner so as to permit one case to be stacked upon the other so that in the milk station r Creamery when the bottle cases are filled with milk bottles, the bottles will be inverted and washed out right while they are in the case and then turned over in the individual compartments in the case and filled with milk, passing on gravity carriers into the cooling room and then carried out into the districts to deliver the same to the different homes. This calls for a crate structure which will withstand certain handling conditions and accomplish the desired results in a simple manner. It is important that these crates be made economically, easy to assemble, and readily repaired if it is necessary.

I have provided a crate wherein the sides are, preferably made of non-metallic strips or slats and where the corners are reinforced by metal angle members extending over the inside and outside of the corners, which members are secured together to hold the slats forming the side walls in place.

The novel features of my crate reside in the partition members which are made of strips of metal having the sides bent down to provide an 3 arcuate portion in the flat strip with slightly depending arcuated flanges formed by the bending down ofthe sides of the strip. These strips intersect and are secured together at their intersecting points by stay-rivets of my peculiar con- 35 struction which extend from one partition to the other.

The partitions are superimposed directly above each other and the stay-rivets extend between the two partitions to hold the same equally spaced apart and to reinforce the thin flat strips which form the dividers of the partitions to divide the inside of the bottle crate into individual bottle compartments. Were it not for thestay bolts the thin iiat strips would not be strong enoughv to withstand the wear and handling to which a bottle crate is subjected.

The partition of this crate is formed with two unit-like portions secured together to provide a complete partition unit, that is, one set of strips which act as dividers are placed intersecting each other at right-angles and are positioned above the other similar setand then these two sets are secured together by the stay-rivets.

Whenthe partition is in this form as a unit, it ispositioned in the bottle crate in themaking of the same and the other Slat members which form the side walls are secured above so as to hold the partition anchored in the slatted side walls. The stay-bolts perform an important function in strengthening and properly spacing the partition sections apart so as to provide a complete unit. Thesestay-bolt rivets also provide the securing means for holding the spacers of the sections of the partitionk riveted together at their intersecting points. A peculiar formation of stay-bolt is used to accomplish the desired results.

The drawing illustrates inyFigure 1 a perspective View of my milk crate.

Figure 2V illustrates a section of the milk crate, across the narrow dimension thereof.

Figure 3 illustrates a similar section to Figure 2, across the long or longitudinal dimension ofthe crate.

Figure 4Villustrates'one end of the stay bolt rivets as it would appear in being set in the strips which form the spacers, the strips being v illustrated in section.

Figure 5 is a similar View to Figure 4, showing a portion of the rivet-bolt after it has been upset and riveted in place, and showing the spacers in section.

Figure 6 illustrates a spot welded brace structure between the sets of spacers.

In the drawing the crateA is formed of wooden slats Ill which may be narrow strips of wood or other non-metallic members.v These strips I0 are placed edge to edge superimposed to form the side walls ofthe crate A.

The bottom slats II are reinforced with a metal channel-shaped member I2 to provide a strong wearing surface for the bottom of the crate A. This is important because the crate in being carried over gravity carriers would be all chewed up alongY the bottom by the wear and tear on the same, were it not for the reinforced edge I2 on the bottom slats II.

The case A is divided into individual bottle compartments such as B by the partition unit C which is made up of a series of intersecting flat strips I4 and I5 These strips intersect each other at right-angles and vare formed with arcuated portions I6 which provide the downward extending arcuated ange I1 in each compartment on the sides of the strips I4v and I5. The strips I4 and I5 are of thin metal andthe arcuated flanges I1 provide bottle engaging faces in the compartments B.

To hold the unit C assembled with the strips I4 and I5- extending as spacers n'setssuchas 'Y 1 same time, the strips I4 and I5 are together at their intersecting points.

crate A. Y Y

The stay-bolts or rods I8 are formed in a peculiar manner with a rod portion on the-ends of which an annular ilange I9 is formed, -together with a tapered riveting end 20. By reason of this tapered end when the same is placed in the openings 2I in the members I4 and I5 and drawn up tight to rivet over a head like 22 in Figure 5, a water Vand, moisture-tight joint is'provided between the shoulder I9 and the head 22. At the held riveted A fiat thin spacing plate of sheet metal 23 extends between the sides of the crate A as illus-u Ytrated in Figure 2 Yandralso illustrated in Figure illustrated in Figure 3.

3 in Ycross-section.` This plate is secured at 24 to Vthe side walls, while pairs of rods 25 extend through the same near the lower edge thereof. Theserods 25 form therbottoms for the compartments B and the bottlesrest directly upon the rods 25 either in upright or inverted position.V Brace rods 26 extend Vtransversely across the crate'and over these rods I provide a channel brace 21. The longitudinal bottom rods 25V extend through the channelV 2l and the transverse brace rods 26 supportthe channels between the side walls. Thespacer plate 23 engages under the center cross strip of the partition unit C as This spaces the center of the unit C from Ythe bottom rods 25 and acts to support and brace the center of the unit C in the crate 'AQ Y Y The unitV partition C is formed with itsY ends adapted to extend between-the abutting faces of theV slatmembers I0, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, and suitable anchoring pins 28 are adapted to hold the endsof the partition in anchored position in relation' to the side walls of the case-A.

The .simplicity of structure of this crate accomplishes a desiredresult informing a partition Vunit C by the stay-rivets or bolts I8 and therintersecting ilat strips I4 and I5 which have arcuated flanges formed therein. These parts are heid together in a unit and placed in the crateA and form a means of partitioning the same into individual bottle'. compartments B. The reinforcing plate 23 acts to support the center of the unit C which rests upon the' plate 23Y and co-operating with the braces and bottom rods 25, reinforces and properly spaces the parts of the crate A, holding the center portion C of the partition from sagging aswell as assisting to support Vthe rods 25. This brace plate extending transversely in the bottom of the case A forms Va sheet-like brace` through the center of the same.

' The side slats I 0 when in-place, anchor the ends of the partition unit C, and the outside corner'angles 30 cooperate withY the insideV corner angles 3| to hold the ends of the slats I0 rigidly together by means of the rivets 32 which extend through the corner members 30 and3I and the slats I0 to rigidly connect the same and reinforce the case at the corners. The unitary partition C with the Vupper and lower Vsections all connected together by the stay-rivets I8 permit easy assembly of the parts and when the case A is all together a very strong and substantial structure is provided in an economical manner.

MI have describediand set-forth in accordance with the patent statutes the principles of the invention with the novel features thereof, and the same should Ybe interpreted within the scope of the following claims.

I claim: Y Y Y 1. A bottle crate including, a unitary parti- Vtion having upper and lower sections, rivets for holding said sections together, and a sheet-like 3. A bottle crate including, side and end walls,

pairs of rods extending longitudinally along the bottom of said crate to form aY rest Yfor the bottles inY the crate, channel-shaped supporting members extending" transversely 'between the sides of said crate, rods in the tops of said channels for supporting the same,l said pairs of rods extending through said channels below the supporting rods for said channels, a center braceV plate through whichsaid pairs of rods extend positionedbetween the sides of said crate, a unitary partition formed of Vsuperimposed sections, rivet spacer rods holding said sections spacedapart, said brace plate supporting said unitary partition centrally, andrmeans for anchoring the ends of said unitary partition to the walls of said crate.

4 A crate partition connecting means for connecting superimposed crate partitions including, a rod, shoulders spaced from the ends of said rod for bearing against said partition Vunits to properly space the same, and a rivet head on either said rod maybe securedY having upper and lower sections each formed'of intersecting flat strips, said strips positioned Vwith one ilat surface uppermost, vertical spacer rivets adapted to extending through the Vintersecting points of said strips of bothV sections and secure said sections together, means on said rivets Yto space said strips apart, and means for janchoring Y said unit in the side walls of said cratelf 7. A partition unit for bottle crates including, sections each made of at `strips laid one upon the other with one iiat surface uppermost, and intersecting at right angles, and vertical stayrivets extending through said strips to secure said strips together `at their intersecting points with a moisture-tight joint, andr shoulder means on said rivets to space said stripsof different sections.

8. A partition unit for bottle crates including, upper and lower sections, each comprising iat strips with one fiat surface uppermost and intersecting at right angles, verticalstay-rivets extending through said stripsof both sections to fsecuresaid sections together, Vand ends formed on said strips for anchoring said unit in a bottle crate.

9. A partition unit for bottle crates comprising, upper and lower sections each including fiat strips intersecting at right angles, and stay brace means extending through the strips of said sections inciuding means to space the strips of diierent sections apart and form a reinforcing brace between the same.

10. A bottle crate including, a number of superimposed partitions spaced one above another, and a brace connected to the lowermost partition of said number, said brace extending into contact with, but not connected to, the partition next adjacent the said lowermost partition.

11. A bottle crate including, a number of superimposed partition members spaced one above the other, a brace connected to the lowermost member of said number upon which the next adjacent partition above said lowermost partition rests but is not connected, and means for connecting the partitions above said lowermost partition rigidly together.

12. A crate partition structure including a pair of spaced fiat partition members, and means for connecting said partition members including a rod, shoulder means spaced from each end of said rod, each shoulder means contacting one of said pair of spaced partition members to hold the members in spaced relation., and ends on said rod holding said spaced partition members against said shoulders.

' LLOYD HALE. 

